I Don't Want to be Alone
by Xennariel
Summary: After her encounter with Pride, Riza is shaken, and Roy can tell something is wrong just from the inflection in her voice over the phone. He shows up at her door unexpectedly and offers her the comfort she desperately needs.


I wrote some more prompt requests for people on Tumblr, and I kind of liked how this one turned out. The scene where Riza gets a call from Roy right after her encounter with Pride is one of my favorites and I've been wanting to explore what might have happened had he showed up at her place despite the obvious warning she was sending him over the phone, so enjoy my take on this little Universe Alteration.

Also to note, this is a future scene from my larger Royai fic, Through Eyes of Flame, so it's kind of like a sneak peak.

 **42 - I'm scared and I don't want to be alone**

Riza hung up the phone with a sigh and turned to Black Hayate, a small, almost relieved smile on her face. She bent down to pick up the Shiba Inu and hug him.

"How does he always manage to have such good timing?" she muttered to her pup who just whined and wagged his tail.

After a few minutes, she set Hayate down and stood to get ready for bed, making a point to leave all the lights off save for the dim one over the entryway. If Pride used shadows as his eyes, ears, and weapons, then she would make sure there were no shadows for him to utilize. Riza Hawkeye was no fool. No light meant no shadows and if she had to live in darkness for an indefinite amount of time, then so be it.

She couldn't remember a time when she had ever been so frightened. The darkness brought a meager amount of relief, knowing that Pride couldn't watch her in the dark, but her hands still trembled as she shed her uniform and slipped on her pajamas, one of Roy's old white button ups over a pair of workout shorts. Putting on his shirt brought another small amount of comfort and she wrapped her arms around herself, bringing her knees up to her chest as she curled up in the corner of the couch in her living room after turning off the light above the front door. She felt Hayate leap onto the seat next to her and nestle up against her side and she was grateful for his companionship.

Riza had no idea how she was going to sleep that night. No matter what precautions she took to ensure Pride couldn't watch her, it didn't do much to calm her her nerves. The encounter with the Original Homunculus had shaken her and she had a horrible feeling that everything was going to make her jumpy for a while.

As expected, a knock on the door did in fact startle her and she leapt to her feet, grabbing the gun she stored in a drawer next to the couch in case of emergencies. She held her gun firmly, but didn't move from her spot in the living room as another knock sounded, seeming more urgent this time. It wasn't until she heard Roy's voice on the other side of the door that she relaxed a bit and put her gun away.

"Lieutenant?" Roy called from outside, trying to be quiet, but hoping he was loud enough for her to hear. "Are you there?"

Riza took a deep breath and steeled herself before flicking on the light and opening the door to reveal Roy standing there with two bouquets of flowers in one hand and a vase in the other. She frowned at him and huffed in exasperation.

"What are you doing here, Colonel?" she asked, annoyed that he hadn't heeded her warning tone over the phone implying he should stay away.

"Good evening, Lieutenant, may I come in?" Roy said, a small grin on his face. Riza could tell his good mood was feigned though as his eyes darted almost immediately to the cut on her cheek, his gaze becoming dark with what she recognized as anger.

She had been so nervous after she got home that she had completely forgotten that Pride had cut her.

Riza sighed before opening the door all the way and stepping aside to let him in.

"I'm not going to help you _every_ time you get drunk, sir," Riza reprimanded, going along with his charade of pretending everything was normal.

"I know, I'm sorry about this, but I didn't know what else to do with all of these," he grinned sheepishly as he walked into her apartment.

As soon as she closed and locked the door, the grin on Roy's face disappeared, replaced with a worried frown.

"I'll get these in some water," Riza said, taking the vase and ignoring the look her colonel was giving her.

He recognized the look on her face, the one that said she wasn't willing to talk about whatever was bothering her, so he sighed and went to help her put the flowers in the vase, cutting the bottoms off the stems before placing the bouquets in the vase full of water Riza had put onto her kitchen table.

"Thank you for the vase, Colonel," she said, placing the last of the flowers, obviously trying to avoid looking at Roy.

Roy couldn't stand her evading the subject anymore and stepped up to her, gently touching the cut on her cheek, expression lined with worry and affection. He understood why she wouldn't talk about it, that if she wasn't saying anything, it was probably still dangerous even though they were alone. But she had been hurt and he needed to know that she was okay.

"You want to tell me what happened?" he asked, the frustration at her avoidance was clear as he spoke.

Riza looked up into Roy's eyes and the warmth and concern she found there almost made her spill everything, but she turned her head and stepped away from his touch, attempting to keep her composure.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir," she said quietly, backing up further from him and turning to walk toward the door. "It's late, you should go."

Roy followed her to the door, inspecting her intently for any clue as to what was going on, when he nearly gasped as she raised her hand to push her hair behind her ear and he saw marks on her wrist that looked as if she had been tied up. He grasped her wrist gently and felt that she was shaking. He became even more concerned about what happened to her, his rage at the homunucli barely contained. How dare they touch her? How dare they hurt her? And it was all his fault that she was in such a dangerous position so it only made him feel even worse.

"What. Happened?" he demanded, forcing her to look at him with his tone.

Riza met his gaze and took a deep breath, on the verge of breaking down and telling him everything. She tried to control her breathing and keep her resolve in check because telling him would put him in even more danger than he already was. But the warmth of his hand holding her wrist and the look in his eye forced that resolve to evaporate and a small sob escaped her lips as she quickly pulled her wrist from him and turned off the light in the entryway, throwing them into complete darkness.

"Stay with me," she whispered. "I'm scared and I don't want to be alone."

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt Roy's arms encircle her and pull her tightly against him. She gripped the front of his shirt and buried her face into the crook of his neck.

He didn't ask any more questions, just held her close and whispered reassuring words to try to calm her. In all the years he had known her, Roy had never seen Riza afraid of much, so to have her say such a thing and stand nearly trembling in his arms worried him greatly. He wanted to do more for her, wished she hadn't been ripped from his side. She would have to go back the next day and work for that monster and pretend like everything was fine when their world was actually falling apart around them. She would face everything with the strength and courage he knew she possessed, but he hated that she would to have to face it alone. He ended up bringing her nothing but pain again, when all he wanted to do was hold her until this madness was over.

Roy gently and slowly pressed his lips to the top of her head, then to her temple, then finally to the cut on her cheek. He wanted to tell her that everything would be fine, but it would have been a lie. Their future was still cloudy and he didn't know what might lie in store for them, but saying that it would all work out was a foolish thing to do, so he said nothing, running his fingers through her hair and rubbing her back in slow, small circles in what he hoped was a calming gesture.

Riza took a deep breath and pulled away from Roy slightly. As much as she wanted him to, he couldn't stay with her all night. When the morning came, Pride would be able to see her again and if he saw Roy sharing her bed, it would cause even more trouble for her colonel. It was bad enough that they knew she was his weakness. She didn't want to think of how much worse it might be if they had confirmation of just how close they really were.

"Thank you," she muttered. "I needed that."

Despite her pulling back from him, Roy didn't let her go, keeping one arm firmly wrapped around her waist while the other continued to stroke her hair.

"You know I'll always be here for you," he replied softly. "If you need me again, just call."

"No, you can't," Riza said firmly. "Until this is over, this is the last time we can see each other like this."

Roy frowned and sighed. He knew she would say that, and he knew she was right, but that didn't mean he liked it at all.

"You should go," she said after a few moments of silence passed between them.

Roy glared into the darkness over Riza's head, not wanting to leave yet, but knowing that she was right again.

"All right," he finally replied, not happy about the situation.

He wanted to stay with her, but if she was pushing him to leave, she must have had her reasons, so he would respect her wishes.

Pulling her close to him once more, he found her lips and kissed her firmly, hoping to convey all his love and adoration for her with the action. She seemed to understand his message as she returned his kiss, holding him as tightly as he held her, like she didn't want to ever let go.


End file.
